


Another rescue

by Dahlia_Rose_83



Series: friendship [3]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 17:10:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8586856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dahlia_Rose_83/pseuds/Dahlia_Rose_83
Summary: When the past comes back to haunt Damon, it’s Alaric’s turn to save his boyfriend. Luckily he’s got back-up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it was only fair that Damon had to suffer this time and Alaric got to be the hero. Well, sort of. And since I already mixed up season 3 and 4 for the last part, why not include season 5 as well?

Liz took a sip from her water bottle while sneaking a glance at the back-seat. Alaric was staring out of the window, seemingly oblivious to being watched. The whole thing had a feeling of déjà-vu. Again they were on a rescue mission and again they had no idea what awaited them. But this time Alaric was the one accompanying her, while Damon had to be rescued. And this time they had more back-up. Her eyes strayed to Sean for a moment. He was driving the car and at least on the outside he appeared totally calm. She was eternally grateful for his strong and calming presence.  
   
Alaric on the other hand was a wreck. She had never seen him like this. While Damon had practically been vibrating with nervous energy, unable to sit still during their rescue mission a few months ago, Alaric seemed almost frozen. He sat in the back-seat, unmoving, staring out the window. His mouth was a hard line and one of his hands was clutching the door-handle so hard the knuckles were turning white. He hadn’t spoken a word for the whole of the drive. Liz was pretty sure that he was blaming himself – quite unnecessarily – for the whole dilemma.  
   
Because originally Alaric should have accompanied Elena and Bonnie on their trip to Whitmore College, to meet a certain Professor Shane. He was an expert on witchcraft and, having taken over the job from Bonnie’s grams, he had invited the young witch for a visit. But then Ric had to take over supervising the students in detention for one of the other teachers. Since Bonnie and Elena didn’t want to cancel their trip and Alaric insisted that they don’t go alone, Damon had finally agreed to accompany the girls.  
   
At first everything had gone as planned. Elena had sent a text to Ric upon arriving, letting him know that they had made it there safely and that she had managed to convince Bonnie not to kill Damon for his stupid jokes. The vampire had sent a text as well, complaining that he had to watch the girls and spend the night at some shitty motel and declaring that Ric owed him now. Some time later he had sent another text, letting the teacher know that Professor Shane was a shady character who kept watching him strangely. Ric hadn’t thought anything by it and only sent a short text back, telling Damon to behave. When he hadn’t heard anything more from the vampire he had assumed that Damon was pouting.  
   
Until the next morning, when Elena had called him hysterically, telling him that Damon had disappeared. He had been bored with their talk about witches and Bonnie’s grams, so he had left Shane’s office to go for a walk. And snack on some sorority girls, as he had claimed with a wink. The girls had been quite happy to see him leave, since he had been grating on their nerves with his snarky comments and little jibes. They hadn’t thought anything by it when the vampire didn’t show up again. Assuming that he had already returned to the motel they had called a cab and went there as well. When Damon hadn’t reacted to them knocking on his door, they had thought he was either pouting or out for a drink.  
   
But when he still wouldn’t open the door next morning and also didn’t answer his phone they had started to get worried. The girl at the reception desk had told them that Damon hadn’t picked up his key last night. Only minutes later they’d found out that his car wasn’t in the parking lot. Ric had tried calling Damon then, but again the vampire didn’t pick up. So the teacher had informed Liz, who had traced his phone and found out that it was still back at Whitmore College. She had sent the coordinates to Elena and Bonnie, who had discovered the phone in a trashcan a few minutes later, sending Alaric into a frenzy. Liz, who had been equally worried by then, had tried calming the panicking teacher while she’d called Sean. Only minutes later they had hit the road in Sean’s truck.  
   
Finally they reached Whitmore College, where they found Elena and Bonnie waiting in the parking lot next to Damon’s Camaro. “I tried to do a locator spell on him, but something seems to be blocking my magic. I couldn’t find him.” the witch had to admit. Liz nodded, trying not to let her worry show. She glanced at Alaric, who was staring at Damon’s car with a dark expression.  
   
“Take a cab back to the motel. Caroline is gonna pick you up. She’s already on her way. We’ll find Damon.” Liz ordered. But just like she expected, Elena started protesting immediately. “What? No, we won’t. We’ll stay and help.“ The sheriff sighed and was about to reply when Alaric beat her to it: “Go home, Elena. We’ve got this.” Finally he tore his eyes away from the Camaro and looked at the girls. “But Ric…” Elena protested again, only to be cut off by her guardian. “No buts, Elena. We don’t know what awaits us here. We don’t know who kidnapped Damon. I don’t want you getting yourself in danger. Go back to the motel and let Caroline take you home.“ Liz looked at him in surprise, taken aback by the authoritative tone. She had never heard him talk like that.  
   
The brunette on the other hand crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a defiant look, not ready to give in so easily. But Alaric didn’t give her a chance to reply. “I know that you only want to help. But I need to concentrate on finding Damon. And I can’t do that while I’m worrying about what mess you’re getting yourself into this time. So please, do as you’re told this one time and go home, Elena.” The girl was visibly hurt by these words. Liz had to admit that Elena had a talent for getting in trouble, but that was still no excuse for telling her off like that. But she also knew that Alaric was worried about Damon and that his fear was making him overreact, so she didn’t comment.  
   
Elena gave the teacher a wounded look and allowed Bonnie to lead her away, while calling a cab. “But you’ll call as soon as you find him, right?” she asked in a small voice, turning to look at Alaric again. “Yes, we will.” Ric promised, before turning back to the truck, getting his bag out of the trunk and walking towards the main building in quick strides. Liz exchanged a worried look with Sean, before following him. She knew all too well what was hidden in the bag Ric had slung over his shoulder. Stakes, vervain and a lot of curious weapons. Ric’s hunters gear, as Damon liked to call it.  
   
“Do you have a plan? Or at least an idea where to start looking?” Sean asked. Liz was grateful that he had asked the one question that had been on her mind as well. She hadn’t dared to do it. Despite the fact that Ric and her were friends now, she still sometimes had trouble guessing his reactions. And right now he was scaring her a little. Something about the hard look in his eyes and the set of his jaw made him appear… unapproachable and almost dangerous. Sean had no such qualms. He always said what came to mind. In any situation. And he also was closer to Ric than she was.  
   
“We’ll ask Professor Shane.” Alaric replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Why him?” Sean prodded. “Because Damon thought he was shady. He told me that Shane kept staring at him. Damon doesn’t make up stuff like that. The guy is involved in his disappearance.” Sean and Liz couldn’t argue with that, so they followed the teacher, who went to the secretary and asked where Shane’s office was.  
   
They were lucky. The guy had a free period right now and was alone in his office, getting paperwork done. Liz wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination running wild thanks to the fact that Damon had claimed the guy was shady, but he gave her the creeps as well. And he didn’t even do anything to fuel that. He looked completely ordinary and he was very polite, greeting the unexpected visitors with a friendly smile. But still, something seemed off about the guy. She pushed the thought aside and showed him her sheriff’s badge. “We’re looking for Damon Salvatore. He seems to have disappeared after leaving your office yesterday.” she explained. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. But I don’t think I can help you. I only met Mr. Salvatore yesterday and I haven’t seen him after he left.“ Shane let them know.  
   
Liz was about to ask him a few questions, when Alaric walked up to the desk, looming over the professor threateningly. “I don’t have time for your games. You kept staring at Damon and right after he left you went outside to make a phone call. Elena told me. So who did you call and where is Damon?” Shane looked up at the teacher with a slightly worried expression. Alaric could be damn intimidating when he wanted to be. “I really don’t know what…” Shane started, but gave a startled squeak when Ric grabbed him and pushed him hard against the wall.   
   
Liz took a step towards him, totally shocked by the sudden burst of violence she hadn’t been expecting from the mostly so controlled teacher. But Sean grabbed her elbow and shook his head. “Leave him. He knows what he’s doing.“ The blonde wasn’t so sure about that, but she decided to trust her boyfriend’s instinct and stay out of it for now. She only watched with growing worry how Alaric pressed the professor against the wall, most likely cutting off his air supply in the process.  
   
“Stop wasting my time. You know what Damon is, don’t you?” Obviously Shane confirmed this in some way, because the teacher continued, his voice dangerously low: “Then you can probably guess what he’s capable of. And let’s just say he taught me quite a bit over the last few years. So you can either tell me what you know or we can do this the hard way. But I doubt you’ll be able to walk out of here under your own steam when I’m through with you.”  
   
The threat was enough to loosen Shane’s tongue. “I… I recognized him. From the pictures… the Augustine files.” he stammered. Liz exchanged another worried look with Sean, while Alaric pushed the professor back onto his chair. “Where is Damon? What did you do?” Shane cowered under his dark stare. “I… I called Dr. Maxfield. He has him.“ he admitted, flinching when Ric grabbed his shoulder roughly. “Where is he? I won’t ask again.” he threatened. “He’s… with Augustine. At the Whitmore house. His… lab is in the basement.“ Liz felt a nervous flutter in her stomach at those words. This sounded bad. She had no idea what the hell Augustine even was, but the mention of a lab couldn’t mean anything good. “Which building is it?” Alaric demanded. Shane explained where the house was and told them the fastest way to get there.  
   
Liz’ eyes widened in shock when Alaric suddenly pulled a knife out of his bag. “I told you all I know. I swear.” Shane practically shrieked. Ric gave him a disgusted look and used the knife to cut the cord of his phone, before putting it away again. Then he took Shane’s mobile phone, which was lying on the desk, dropped it and stomped on it. “Don’t even think of trying to warn that doctor in any way.” he hissed, before leaving the office quickly. Liz cast one last look at Shane, who was still trembling in fear, before following Alaric and Sean.  
   
“What the hell was that in there?” she finally snapped. Ric just gave her a calculating look and kept on walking. “When there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you won’t get far being nice to guy’s like that. And we’ve wasted enough time already.” The blonde found no words to argue. She was scared for Damon as well. Since Shane had said something about a lab even more. They made their way to the old building in silence. “Do we have a plan?” Sean finally spoke up again. “No, we’ll have to improvise. We have no idea what awaits us in there.“ Ric pointed out. “True.” Sean had to admit.  
   
The door was unlocked, which Liz found a bit strange. But she wasn’t about to question their luck, so she shrugged it off and entered the house. At first sight it seemed empty. They took a quick look around and finally found a heavy iron door, luckily unlocked as well. Behind the door a staircase led down. Liz gave both men a warning look, before pulling out her gun and leading the way downstairs.  
   
They entered a narrow, dimly lit hallway and crept further. It was eerily silent and rather cold down here, but the hallway seemed to be in use. Liz could see no dust or cobwebs. She shuddered when she spied a couple of holding cells to her left. Peering through the bars she found them empty. Alaric’s face bore this stony expression again and for the first time even Sean looked worried, which in turn spiked Liz’ worry. It took a lot to make her boyfriend lose his calm. But she reminded herself that they had fought hybrids and original vampires together. How much worse could this be?  
   
Leaving the cells behind they reached another door, which stood slightly ajar. Liz glanced at Sean, who nodded before pushing the door open further. The hallway got a little wider now and they could hear a steady noise, like the humming of machines. In front of them was a room with no door. Bright light filtered into the hallway and she could hear someone murmuring. The blonde took a deep breath, crept closer and looked inside. What she saw made her blood run cold.  
   
The room was filled with medical tools of all sorts. Big cabinets took up most of the back wall. But the most gruesome sight was right in the middle, where two tables were placed under some sort of surgical lamps. A dark-haired man was strapped to one of these tables, looking at the ceiling with an almost bored expression. Damon was lying on the other table. His wrists and ankles were strapped to the table as well, but he seemed to be unconscious. His naked chest was covered in blood. A blond man in a doctor’s coat was leaning over him with a bloody scalpel in hand.   
   
For a second Liz was unable to move. Only Alaric’s shocked gasp pulled her from her stupor. She stepped into the room, lifting her gun. “Step back from that table and drop the scalpel.“ she ordered in her best sheriff voice. The blond doctor looked at her in shock. The guy on the table stared at her as well, curiosity written on his face. “How did you get in here?” the doctor barked. Liz could practically feel Alaric tensing behind her, probably getting ready to attack the man. “I said step back and drop the scalpel. I won’t repeat myself again.” she warned.  
   
The doctor glanced at the gun which was aimed straight at him. Liz didn’t waver for a second. She was trained for things like this. And she would have no problem shooting the guy if he did something to threaten Damon’s life. He seemed to sense this, because he finally gave in. Taking a few steps back he dropped the scalpel, letting it clatter to the ground. “You don’t understand. I’m doing research…” he tried to defend himself. This was obviously the last straw for Alaric. Before Liz had a chance to react he had crossed the room in quick strides and punched the guy in the face. The force of his punch sent the doctor backwards into a shelf, where he hit his head and dropped to the ground, unconscious.  
   
Alaric then ran to Damon’s side, hesitantly touching his shoulder. “Damon…” The vampire didn’t react. “They pumped him full of vervain.“ the one on the other table explained helpfully. Ric ignored him and started untying Damon, talking to him quietly all the while. “Don’t worry, I’m here now. We’ll take you home.” He touched Damon’s chest gingerly, noting all the blood. Some of it dried, some fresh. A deep gash along his ribcage was still bleeding. “Why isn’t it healing?” Liz whispered worriedly. She was used to wounds inflicted upon a vampire disappearing within seconds.  
   
“The vervain in his body is slowing down the healing process. It weakens his defenses.” the teacher explained quietly. “You’re Alaric, right?” the dark-haired guy spoke up again, staring at the teacher with a strange expression. “Damon said you would come. I didn’t believe him.” Ric only spared him a quick glance, unwilling to take his eyes off Damon, now that they had found him. “And you are?” he asked. “Enzo. I’m an old mate of Damon’s. From his first imprisonment here at Augustine.“ The words made Liz shudder. Professor Shane had already hinted at the fact that Damon had been here before. But hearing it directly and seeing what it meant made her feel sick.  
   
Sean gave her a questioning look. She regarded Enzo warily, but nodded. It was clear that he was a vampire as well, but no-one deserved this. Whatever this actually was. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to know. Also maybe he really was a friend of Damon. “We’ve all got vervain in our blood, so it would do nothing for you to attack us.” Sean pointed out, while freeing Enzo. “Don’t worry, mate. You’re friends of Damon. I wouldn’t harm you.“ the vampire assured. Once he was free he sat up slowly. Obviously he had also been weakened by vervain.  
   
But suddenly he moved very fast, blurring across the room to lunge at the doctor, who was just groggily sitting up. He had no chance to react. Enzo grabbed him and sank his fangs into his throat, drinking deep. Liz felt torn, watching the gruesome scene. As sheriff she had sworn to protect people, also or actually mostly from vampires. But this doctor had obviously done horrible things to Damon. She looked to Sean for help and he shook his head with a grimace. The meaning was clear. Let him be.  
   
Within seconds the doctor was drained. Enzo licked the last drops of blood from his lips with a satisfied grin. “I’ve been waiting years to do that.” he let them know. “But now I suggest we get the hell out of here. He worked alone mostly, but there are others.“ Alaric nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.” He picked up Damon, stumbling under his weight for a moment, before shifting him in his arms and walking towards the door purposefully. Liz could hear him whisper: “I’ve got you.” and had to smile despite herself. Another rescue successfully completed.


	2. Chapter 2

Damon opened his eyes with a groan, blinking against the harsh light. He flinched when the mattress dipped next to him, bracing for the worst. But then he startled. Mattress? The last thing he remembered was being shot with a vervain dart in his Augustine prison cell. A warm hand caressed his cheek and the familiar touch made him relax, even before he heard Alaric’s voice. “Hey, how are you feeling?” The vampire’s throat felt dry and scratchy and his voice sounded just like that when he replied: “Like shit.” Ric had to smile despite himself, feeling some of the tension drain away. Damon was safe.  
   
Finding the vampire injured and unconscious had scared him more than he liked to admit. Of course he knew that the vervain weakened Damon’s body. That it slowed down the healing process. Just like he knew that Damon would recover completely, once the vervain was out of his system and he had gotten fresh blood. But knowing that didn’t do much to comfort him. Damon looked so young and fragile lying there. It was a look the teacher wasn’t used to. Didn’t want to get used to, even if it was nice to be the stronger one in the relationship for once.  
   
He helped Damon to sit up against the headboard, noting how weak the vampire still was. Sean handed him a blood-bag, which he gulped down hungrily. Ric was eternally grateful for the fireman’s help and his pragmatism. Neither he nor Liz would have remembered to bring blood-bags. Suddenly a worried look crossed Damon’s features. “Enzo…” he gasped.  
   
“Right here, mate.” the other vampire answered from where he was leaning against the wall. Damon sighed in relief. “I told you Ric would get us out of there.” the older Salvatore reminded, smiling at Ric who handed him another blood-bag. “Yeah, we actually both got out this time.” Enzo agreed, making Damon flinch slightly. Alaric looked at him questioningly, but he only shook his head. Ric understood that he would explain later and didn’t push him. Instead he asked: “Do you feel up for the journey home? I don’t want to stay here any longer than necessary.”  
   
“I totally agree. Let’s get the hell out of here. Wherever here actually is.“ Damon muttered, looking around the slightly chaotic room for the first time. “We’re at the dormitories. Enzo convinced a couple of students to let us use their room for a while.” Ric answered, not hiding his distaste. He would’ve preferred a different solution, but it had been the easiest way. He hadn’t wanted to drag Damon all the way back to the motel in his weakened state. Not to mention that his boyfriend was pretty heavy and he hadn’t been sure how far he could carry him.  
   
Damon nodded and got up slowly. The vervain had mostly worn off. He accepted the shirt Alaric handed him with a grateful smile. “Sean got your bag from the motel.” the teacher explained, leading him to the door once he was dressed. They left the dormitories and once outside Alaric wrapped an arm around Damon’s waist. He hadn’t missed the fact that his vampire wasn’t completely steady on his feet yet and he also had the strong urge to keep touching him. To make sure that he really was alright. Damon leaned into him without comment.  
   
“We’ll follow you in Sean’s truck.” Liz decided when they reached the parking lot. Damon nodded and reluctantly handed his car-keys to Alaric. The drive would be long and exhausting and he wanted to rest some more, instead of having to focus on traffic. Ric took the keys quietly, put Damon’s bag in the trunk and noticed with a frown that Enzo had already flopped into the backseat. Like there was no question that he would be coming with them. But when he caught Damon’s pleading look the teacher swallowed the nasty comment he had been about to utter and got into the drivers seat.  
   
The drive back to Mystic Falls passed mostly in silence. Damon dozed in the passenger seat, while Enzo sometimes muttered little comments. Alaric couldn’t tell why, but he didn’t like the guy. He kept hinting at the fact that Damon and him had met at Augustine years ago and that only Damon had escaped back then, while Enzo had remained a prisoner. But neither he nor Damon really wanted to talk about Augustine.  
   
It was late afternoon when they finally reached the boarding house, where Elena, Bonnie, Caroline and Stefan were already waiting. Elena threw her arms around Damon and apologized for not noticing his disappearance sooner. Bonnie assured that she hadn’t known what professor Shane was up to. Caroline hugged the older Salvatore as well, telling him she was glad he was okay. Stefan only stood in the back, staring at his brother, obviously unwilling to show how worried he had been. “Yes, alright. I’m fine, so stop fussing.” Damon finally grumbled, when the girls got too clingy. He introduced the others to Enzo, who winked at Bonnie and Caroline, earning himself an eye roll from both.  
   
Liz and Sean promised to stop by tomorrow to talk about what happened and decide what to do now. Alaric apologized for the harsh words he had said to Elena, before sending all three girls home. Damon clapped his brother on the back and showed Enzo the guest room. Alaric, who had already seen that coming, didn’t comment. He still hoped they would get rid of the other vampire soon.  
   
At least he didn’t see Enzo again that day, since he went out to celebrate his new found freedom (Ric didn’t want to know what that would entail) and returned late at night. While Damon took a long shower, Alaric cooked dinner, only now noticing that he had barely eaten all day. He probably wouldn’t have eaten anything at all, if Liz hadn’t forced him to have a sandwich and some juice before they had left for Whitmore. He made a mental note to thank her for her help. And Sean as well. He didn’t know what he would have done without them.  
   
Once the plates were cleared away, Damon and Alaric settled on the couch with drinks. The vampire was lying with his back to Ric’s chest, while Ric had an arm slung around his waist. “Are you going to tell me what happened?” Ric finally broke the silence. Damon sighed dramatically, but started talking: “I went for a walk after leaving professor creepy’s office. Guess I should’ve paid more attention to my surroundings. All I know is that a woman walked past me and before I had a chance to react she had rammed a vervain dart into my thigh. Must’ve been pretty strong stuff, because I was out instantly. And when I woke up I was back in my old cell at Augustine.”  
   
“You never told me about Augustine.” Ric murmured. “There are a lot of things I haven’t told you and I don’t exactly have fond memories of my time at Augustine.” Damon shot back, but after some hesitation he started telling his boyfriend about his first imprisonment. He told Ric how a distant relative had tricked him into getting captured and how he had met Enzo and became friends with the other vampire. “Augustine is some sort of secret society. A bunch of crazy scientists, mostly. They call it science, but I think they just love torturing people. And they use vampires as lab rats, because we heal fast.” He didn’t want to tell what exactly those scientists had done to him and Alaric, remembering being a prisoner of Klaus, didn’t prod. There were things you just wanted to push to the back of your mind. Things you didn’t talk about. He simply pulled Damon closer and waited for him to continue.  
   
“Enzo and I had an escape plan back then. But it all went wrong. I managed to escape, but.. I couldn’t free him. The house was on fire and I couldn’t open the cage he was in. Leaving him behind was… I hated myself for it. Enzo was my friend. He helped me survive in those prison cells and I left him to die. I failed him. I switched off my feelings and ran. Like a coward. And all those years I thought he had died in the flames.“  
   
Hesitantly he turned in the embrace to look at his boyfriend. “He forgave me, Ric. Can you imagine that? I don’t have many friends. You know that. And I owe Enzo my life. He’s been a prisoner since the fifties. He’ll need time to get used to the world again.“ Alaric knew exactly what Damon was trying to say. Unable to deny his boyfriend anything, he gave in with a sigh. “Alright, we’ll help him.” he promised, before adding: “As long as he sticks to some rules and refrains from killing innocent people.” The picture of Enzo draining that doctor was all too vivid in his memory. Although he could even understand that.  
   
Damon smirked. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he behaves.” Ric chose not to comment on that. He still didn’t like it, but he knew that it was important to Damon. He would support him, like he always did. Together they would manage. They had managed worse things. “We should head to bed. It was a tough day.“ he finally muttered. “No objections here.” the dark-haired vampire agreed, getting up but stopping dead when he spied Stefan. “Can we talk?” the younger Salvatore asked hesitantly, moving further into the room. Damon nodded, casting a quick glance in Ric’s direction. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.” the teacher let him know.  
   
“Why did you never tell me about Augustine?” Stefan asked, once Ric had left. Damon shrugged. “Not exactly a happy story, you know? I just wanted to be done with that chapter of my life.“ he claimed. Stefan hesitated. “It was 1953, wasn’t it? I had gotten a telegraph from… I think his name was Joseph Salvatore. He asked me to come. I… hesitated. I didn’t want to see you. When I did follow the invitation a few weeks later I found out that he’d been murdered. I was sure it must’ve been you and I was… disgusted. So I left the next day.” he admitted. “If I hadn’t been so quick in assuming that you… If I had gone looking for you…“  
   
“You probably would’ve ended up in a Augustine cell as well, Stefan. Stop worrying. You didn’t know. And you had every right to be mad at me. I had left you hanging during world war 2.“ the older Salvatore reminded. “But still… You were a prisoner for years, right? You must’ve gone through terrible things and I had no idea.” Damon rolled his eyes. “And that is exactly why I never told you. You feel guilty and blame yourself for something that’s not your fault.” he grumbled.  
   
“But still…” the younger one protested. “It’s not your fault, Stefan. And… truth be told, I was glad you ignored that telegraph back then. I was glad you didn’t get captured by Augustine. You wouldn’t have deserved it. You always tried to do the right thing. I’ve always been a self-centered asshole.” Damon admitted surprisingly honest. Stefan still looked guilty. Suddenly he pulled his brother into a hug. “I’m still sorry I wasn’t there for you.” he mumbled. Damon stiffened at first. Okay, their relationship had improved a lot lately, mostly thanks to Ric and Elena, but hugs had never really been their thing. Still he put his arms around Stefan, hugging him back for a second.  
   
But he started feeling uncomfortable soon and pulled back. “Why don’t we just agree that we both fucked up over the years and put it all behind us?” he suggested. The younger one grinned. “Sounds good. And Damon…“ he looked at his brother uncertainly, either unable to say the words or scared of how they might be received. Damon already knew what he wanted to say. “Yeah, me too, baby brother.” he assured with a smile, before bidding Stefan goodnight and going upstairs.  
   
Alaric was already in bed, so Damon quickly shed his clothes, turned off the light and joined him. “It was surprisingly quiet down there.” the teacher joked lightly. He had been privy to some of Damon and Stefan’s shouting matches and loved to tease the vampire about it. “Did you get everything cleared up?” Damon cuddled into his arms with a content smile. “Yeah, we did.” Ric just nodded, dropping a kiss onto his temple before settling in. “Alright then. Goodnight Damon.”  
   
***  
   
The next couple of days were stressful for everyone. After a long discussion with Liz, Sean and (unfortunately) Enzo, they all agreed that Augustine had to be stopped. Dr. Maxfield appeared to have been the only doctor right now, but since the organization consisted of a few more members there was a big chance they’d just hire a new one and go on like before. They had been doing this since the fifties, after all.   
   
Liz used her position as sheriff to find out more about Augustine, but in the end it was Alaric’s old friend from Duke who found out that Augustine was funded only by the Whitmore family. Damon, Alaric and Enzo then went to visit the last remaining family member, a depressive young man named Aaron, who was convinced that his family was cursed, since everyone he loved died a strange death.  
   
As it turned out there was no curse involved. In fact it had been Damon who caused all those deaths. During his imprisonment he had sworn to kill every Whitmore, always leaving one alive so the family wouldn’t die out and he had stuck to that plan all those years. Enzo was more than happy to hear about this way of revenge. Alaric on the other hand made his boyfriend promise to stop. Aaron wasn’t responsible for his family’s mistakes and had already suffered enough.  
   
So Damon only compelled the boy to cut off all funds for Augustine and destroy Dr. Maxfield’s lab. While he and Ric were busy burning all the files Augustine had collected over the years, Enzo had other plans. He secretly compelled Aaron to get him a list of all Augustine members and then proceeded to kill them one by one. When Damon realized what he was up to, it was already too late. They only managed to save a woman named Dianne. Damon compelled her to hush up the murders (she was head of campus security) and then quit her job and leave town with her kids. Enzo called him a spoilsport and grumbled that Ric was a boring do-gooder, but at least they managed to convince the younger vampire not to kill Aaron.  
   
Bonnie and Caroline had meanwhile taken care of Professor Shane. The witch wouldn’t tell them any details, but she assured that he would cause no more problems. Damon suspected that vampire Barbie had compelled him and shrugged it off. Liz on the other hand was pretty sure that Shane was scared of Alaric and compulsion hadn’t been necessary. She told Damon about their encounter with Shane, but the vampire only grinned and told her he already knew that his boyfriend was totally badass.  
   
Since Augustine was no longer a threat, Damon then concentrated on reintegrating Enzo into society, as he called it. Alaric didn’t like the fact that the two vampires spent so much time together and he had a hard time keeping his jealousy in check. Damon found it hilarious that his boyfriend was jealous. While Enzo didn’t seem to be interested in the older Salvatore in a sexual way (quite the opposite, he was very busy flirting with both Bonnie and Caroline every chance he got), he still stood between Damon and Ric and even moved into the boarding house permanently.  
   
Alaric didn’t like Enzo and Enzo didn’t like Alaric. Both only tolerated each other because of Damon and never missed a chance to make the other look bad. At first the older Salvatore found their continued fighting quite amusing, but soon it started grating on his nerves. He asked Liz for help, who in turn sent Sean to mediate. If anyone could make those stubborn bastards see sense it would be Sean, she argued.  
   
He actually managed to get Alaric and Enzo to talk openly and admit what made them hate each other so much. Okay, so even level-headed Sean couldn’t prevent the following fist-fight, which ended with a black eye and a cracked rib for Alaric and with a (temporarily) broken jaw and a stake to the lung for Enzo. But in the end they even shook hands, so he counted it as a success. Both accepted that each of them was important to Damon and they even showed a grudging respect for the others strength and skills.  
   
When Damon returned home some time later he first proceeded to heal Ric’s injuries with his blood, before calling both of them a bunch of idiots and asking if they were done behaving like a pair of twelve-year old’s now. Ric shot back that it was usually Damon who behaved like a twelve-year-old and Enzo agreed with him for once. Afterwards the three of them got drunk together and that was that. While Alaric and Enzo still weren’t friends and probably would never be, they got along better and contended themselves with a few jibes towards each other. Once Enzo finally managed to win over Bonnie, things got even better. He went out more and seemed happier and so less likely to start a fight. But still…  
   
“I really wonder how Bonnie puts up with him.” Ric muttered. “Just be glad she does. Means we’ve got the house to ourselves.“ Damon reminded without looking up. They were cuddled together naked on the couch, with his head resting on Ric’s chest, the teacher’s arms wrapped tightly around him. Of course he had used the fact that both Enzo and Stefan were out on a date to seduce Alaric in front of the fireplace. “That’s a plus.” Ric agreed. “And we should enjoy the peace and quiet. I’m half expecting Liz to call any moment, telling us we have a new crisis.“ Damon snorted and cuddled even closer. “Don’t jinx it. Even Mystic Falls is bound to have a few quiet weeks every now and then.” The teacher didn’t reply, even though experience had taught him that things never stayed quiet for long in Mystic Falls. Liz would call when new trouble arose. She always did.   
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still not sure what I think about the Bonnie/Enzo pairing. I actually prefer Caroline/Enzo, but since I really wanted Forwood in this series and therefore couldn't pair Caroline with Enzo, I thought I'd give it a try.


End file.
